WEST NEW YORK, NJ-If the under-construction rental building RiverTrace, part of the Port Imperial master-planned development here, feels particularly peaceful when it opens in 2013, credit ancient Chinese principles.
Inspired by other residential building, RiverTrace’s developer, Roseland Property Group, has incorporate some principles of Feng Shui in the development, says Andrew Marshall, operating partner at Roseland, tells GlobeSt.com.
“We actually saw One Hudson Park [the luxury condominium complex in Edgewater, NJ] get a lot of traction,” Marshall says. “And a fair number of residents who’d want that started talking to our leasing staff. More importantly, we understood it was more a focus on good design.”
According to the web site www.traditionalfengshui.com, Feng Shui is “an ancient Chinese study of the natural and ‘built’ environment.” Practioners examine a building and its surrounding environment to improve its balance, energy and flow based on the principles of Yin and Yang.
Roseland retained Feng Shui consultant Alex Stark, who worked on One Hudson Park, to look at the $120 million project, financed by UBS. The 316-unit RiverTrace will include studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom rental units with luxury amenities.
“He measures the energy of the site,” Marshall says, and then makes recommendations. These included such elements as eliminating sharp corners, which are believed to cause disharmony. In fact, “Feng Shui principles are just enhanced design principles,” Marshall adds.
Some are less evident – Roseland purchased “a couple thousand” dollars of crystals to incorporate into the construction to improve the energy of the building. “There isn’t much to abiding by the principles,” Marshall says. “In return, we got better design layouts, better proportions to the rooms, a better location for doors.”
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